<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Where do we go from here? by NPCWilson</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28587504">Where do we go from here?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NPCWilson/pseuds/NPCWilson'>NPCWilson</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Falcon and the Winter Soldier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluffy, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:09:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,070</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28587504</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NPCWilson/pseuds/NPCWilson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I have to agree”. Sam felt Bucky chuckling. “Oh, I can already hear Fury ‘motherfucking’ at us”.</p><p>“We can always call Carol, you know that”, it was Sam’s turn to chuckle. “There’s anything you want to do?”.</p><p>“As long as it is with you, I don’t really care”.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Where do we go from here?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>English is not my first language (not even second), so there’s probably a lot of grammatical mistakes here (you can kindly correct me if you want to). It has been so long since the last time I wrote anything…</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b>W</b>hen Wilson saw his reflection in the mirror at the morning, he thought about pick up his phone and send a message to Sarah telling her that they wouldn’t be able to meet, once again, because both he and Barnes had work to do – even though they had nothing scheduled for the day, nor was on call.</p><p>They’ve had a mission the night before and caught some hits. The bruises weren’t so bad but was there anyway, staring right back at him, purplish yellow, and he hated going to Sarah’s while bruised up – hated even more her sad eyes while looking her big brother injured. But had been months since they last saw each other, and he really missed her.</p><p>So, he did his best with the <em>emergency makeup</em> to hide as much as he could of the bruises. Her trained eyes would spot them, he knew that, but at least it would buy him sometime before the inescapable sermon.</p><p>Barnes had worse than him, but due to his fast healing his bruises were already looking days old. <em>The </em><em>super-</em><em>bastard!</em></p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>The weather had been very pleasant during the whole afternoon. Sarah cooked one of Ma’s receipts, and there was nothing better in the world than spend some quality time being the <em>Cool Uncle</em> for a change.</p><p>It was good to be at home.</p><p>It didn’t take long before the sermon, though. The kids dragged Barnes to the garden after lunch and Sarah took the opportunity to talk with Sam.</p><p>Her sad eyes tracking his bruised up face.</p><p>“Before you start screaming at me: I’m fine, really. The bruises are not that bad”.</p><p>She sighed, taking a deep breath. “I worry about you, Sam. Neither you or Bucky are getting younger, but the two of you aren’t showing any sign of slowing down this superhero-business any time soon”.</p><p>He sat there by the porch, listening to her.</p><p>“What you’re fighting is an endless war; there’ll always be another threat waiting around the corner. It will never stop”, she licked her lips. “You and Riley used to dream about life after the Air Force. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. But you’re not alone, Sam”. Sarah moved her eyes to Bucky and the kids playing, and then back to Sam’s. “You got out for a reason, and got back in the field also for a reason. I know your job as Captain America is important and means a lot to you, but being in the front line is not the only way you can help, nor are you the only one capable for the job”.</p><p>“I know”.</p><p>“I know you know”, she gave him a sad smile. “We’re all really grateful for the job you did after the Blip, doing everything at your reach to put the world back in its track, but–”, she paused and took a deep breath, as if searching for the right words to express what she wanted. “He loves you. And both of you not only are allowed to be happy but, more than anything, <em>deserves</em> some happiness and lazy days. Don’t let that slip through your fingers”. Sarah always maintain visual contact when speaking, but for her next words she looked away. “I know it’s selfish and that I don’t have any right to ask you this… I just don’t wanna lose you. That’s all”.</p><p>Wilson never got the chance to reply because soon the kids got back, excited to tell their mom about how cool playing with <em>uncle Bucky</em> was; her words sank deeper in his chest when he saw how happy and light Barnes looked.</p><p>Sarah sent them home with two bags of food and a promise that the next visit wouldn’t take that longer to happen.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>“Have you ever thought about retirement?”, Sam asked that night, while laid on top of Bucky. Feeling his chest rise and fall; their hearts beating in synchrony.</p><p>Bucky kept quiet for a second. “Yes,” came the reply after almost a minute. “Why? You want to?”.</p><p>“I had a conversation with Sarah today, and I can’t stop thinking of what she told me”.</p><p>Barnes ran his metal hand up and down Sam’s back, having a vague idea of what they talked about and what Sam was thinking. He thought about this himself all the time.</p><p>Almost all of his life has been a fight – for a very long time it was the only thing he knew. The time he spent on the run, after Hydra, and the time healing on Wakanda showed him that there was more to life than a fight after another. Every time he got back on field there was a reason to do it, but now he also had a good reason to step back.</p><p>“We could start slowly”, Bucky suggested. “Asking Fury for some weeks off just to see how it goes; staying on back-up only, while preparing the team for our departure… There’s a lot of ways we can help besides being on the front line”.</p><p>“Sarah told me the same thing”, Sam smiled against Bucky’s chest. He got up just a little to be able to see the other man’s face. “You always has been better at plans than I’m”.</p><p>“Well… That’s because you rarely let this beautiful head of yours plan anything, sweetheart”, Sam rolled his eyes, laying down again. “Honestly, I think that this is the first time I suggested a really good plan with real chances of working out”.</p><p>“I have to agree”. Sam felt Bucky chuckling. “Oh, I can already hear Fury <em>‘motherfucking’</em> at us”.</p><p>“We can always call Carol, you know that”, it was Sam’s turn to chuckle. “There’s anything you want to do?”.</p><p>“As long as it is with you, I don’t really care”.</p><p>“That’s so fucking corny, Wilson…”</p><p>“You loved it!”</p><p>“Maybe…”, Bucky couldn’t help his smile. <em>God, </em><em>I</em><em> love him</em>. “We could travel around the world, starting off the places we’ve been; travel through the globe back and forth, like a slow dance”.</p><p>“Hmm, sounds good to me”. Sam yawned when Bucky started playing with his hair.</p><p>Barnes kept saying the things they could do after retirement until Sam fell asleep. An early meeting with Sharon was waiting for them the very next day, and they had a lot to prepare for if Wilson were serious about the retirement.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>His last thought before sleep being <em><b>“</b></em><em><b>It is</b></em> <em><b>good</b></em><em><b> to be at home”.</b></em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yeah, I don’t know how to end a story.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>